(MISA/IFEX) – On 7 July 2002, “Botswana Gazette” sports reporter Monkagedi Gaotlhobogwe was assaulted at the newspaper’s offices by prominent Botswana national soccer team player Seabo Gabanakgosi. The incident followed the publication in the newspaper of an article penned by the reporter. The article entitled “Is Seabo born again?” appeared in the 13 March edition […]
(MISA/IFEX) – On 7 July 2002, “Botswana Gazette” sports reporter Monkagedi Gaotlhobogwe was assaulted at the newspaper’s offices by prominent Botswana national soccer team player Seabo Gabanakgosi.
The incident followed the publication in the newspaper of an article penned by the reporter. The article entitled “Is Seabo born again?” appeared in the 13 March edition of the “Botswana Gazette”. It raised questions about Gabanakgosi’s physical and tactical fitness ahead of a big match between Botswana’s national team, the Zebras, and South Africa’s national team, Bafana Bafana.
According to Gaotlhobogwe, he was in the newsroom when he was informed that he had a visitor waiting in the reception area. Gaotlhobogwe told MISA-Botswana that he immediately left his desk to attend to the visitor, whereupon he met Gabanakgosi by the main entrance of the “Boswana Gazette” offices.
Recognising the visitor, Gaotlhobogwe said he then greeted Gabanakgosi, whose first words in reply were, “Ke eng o kwala masepa ka nna?” (“Why do you write shit about me?”). The reporter said that before he had a chance to respond, Gabanakgosi continued, “You first wrote shit about me when I was coming back from the [United States] for the national team and again after the match.” The reporter said Gabanakgosi then started hitting him in the face with his fists, in full view of several “Botswana Gazette” staff members.
The marketing and promotions manager of the “Botswana Gazette”, Moganetsi Mabe, intervened and managed to restrain Gabanakgosi. Mabe said that after the incident, he called Gabanakgosi into his office to talk to him. “When I told Gabanakgosi he had just committed a criminal offence and that his behaviour was unjustifiable, he told me he acted that way to ‘prove to Gaotlhobogwe that because he had been playing dirty by writing shit about me I could equally become dirty’.”
Commenting on the incident, “Botswana Gazette” Editor Abraham Motsokono said, “I cannot imagine a clearer demonstration of violation of a journalist’s right [to] freedom of expression. What Seabo did is totally unacceptable, especially by a person [with] his public profile. We are certainly not taking the matter lightly.”
The incident has been reported to the authorities and MISA-Botswana is awaiting a response from the police in this criminal matter.
